NJT: Pre-Sandy service levels to resume Jan. 14

New Jersey Transit Friday announced that as of Jan. 14, it "will restore service levels into New York to 100%, reflecting the agency's ongoing Hurricane Sandy recovery and repair."

An NJT press release, highlighting the role of "the Christie Administration" in a nod to Gov. Chris Christie, also referred to intrastate rail service status, noting, "Systemwide, NJ Transit's rail division will reach 94% of its pre-Sandy service level with the January 14 schedule change, operating 658 of the 700 weekday trains scheduled prior to the storm, compared to the 630 weekday trains operating today. Weekend service was restored to near pre-storm levels as of December 3rd."

"The full restoration of our New York Penn Station rail service marks another important milestone for NJ Transit and our customers, the majority of whom commute to and from midtown Manhattan," said NJ Transit Executive Director James Weinstein. "Equally important is the progress we've made on the North Jersey Coast Line, which was among the hardest hit by Hurricane Sandy. Again, I cannot emphasize enough the tireless efforts made by our rail employees to restore service for our customers."

On Jan. 14, the North Jersey Coast Line will operate nine additional trains, restoring the line's service level to 96% of its pre-Sandy schedule, or 110 out of 114 trains. Of the nine trains being added, seven trains will either originate or terminate in Bay Head, N.J., with four of those trains resuming direct service between Bay Head and Hoboken Terminal, an alternate terminus as opposed to Penn Station-New York.

Another eight trains will resume operating on NJT's Morris & Essex Lines in north central New Jersey, while six trains are being added on the Montclair-Boonton Line, also in that region. Three trains on the Pascack Valley Line, and two on the Port Jervis Line, will bolster service in northeastern New Jersey, along with Rockland and Orange counties in New York.

NJT notes flooding from Hurricane Sandy and the resulting exposure to saltwater destroyed the corporation’s Mason Substation in Hoboken, “a critical component of NJ Transit’s infrastructure that provides electric power for trains to operate into and out of Hoboken Terminal each day. “ NJT anticipates electric power to be restored to Hoboken Terminal by March, at which time electric trains will be restored to the affected lines.